12142022 Christmas Gift Guide

Christmas gift guide

Shopping local for the season

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Reporter acadet@tribunemedia.net

CATCHING a flight to do your shopping abroad is never a bad idea, however, sometimes it’s just too much money and effort. Of course, you can also shop online, which has been made easier by the many courier services in recent years.

But the third alternative – shopping locally – is not only a viable option, but often a very satisfying one as well.

The Tribune spoke to a number of our readers who shared their thoughts and tips on the working through your Christmas list by patronising local stores.

“I usually travel in effort to purchase my Christmas décor for my house, but I didn’t get the chance to do that this year, so with my granddaughter I made it a day out for us both to do it.

On a Saturday we got ready and bought our Christmas tree and the décor from about three stores, like Kelly’s, Home Fabrics and Bahamas Welding and Fire. So, although a trip would have been nice, we made the most of it here and it was fun,” said Ken Thompson about her Christmas shopping spree.

In Amanda Johnson’s case, it’s all about the holiday candles. And she said it’s possible to get fragrant, well-made candles right here in the Bahamas.

“Who doesn’t love a good Bath & Body Works’ candle? I’ll be the first to admit I was a part of this year’s $9.99 online Black Friday sale. But even in doing this, I still find myself buying candles locally because I can’t help myself. Businesses like the Scented Escape Candle Company and so many more offer so many good products that it is hard to resist. Don’t let me be at a pop-up shop or an event where there are local vendors showcasing candles…I am going to be a customer for sure,” she said.

“While people scramble all over the place trying to figure out what to buy for friends and family, I make it easy for myself and drive straight on down to the straw market and take advantage of the beautiful display of Bahamian-made products and items. Whether it’s straw clutches for my mom and sister, earrings for my daughter, or a wallet for my dad, it’s a onestop shop,” she said.

“I did it two years in a row and they were completely happy. I also think you have to know the persons you are shopping for. You can buy things you’d like to see them in, but it’s also important to know if it’s something they’d appreciate. You’d just be spending money for spending’s sake otherwise.”

Terry Rolle also loves buying handmade and Bahamian-made gifts.

“There are so many local artisans and artists you can buy from; unique gifts. Take jewellery from Always by Allia m Dean or Beached Treasures, or art from the Adonis Luxury Home Décor. And if you want chic handbags, there is the Haus of Assembly,” she said.

Betty Smith added that gifts certificates to local establishments are never a bad idea, especially when shopping last minute.

“When all else fails, buy a gift certificate. I bought gift cards for my girlfriends from Fusion Superplex. They can be used at a movie date, one of Fusion’s restaurants or Starbucks.

I feel like this is also a gift I’d really appreciate.

I always tease that I give the best gifts. Maybe even buying gift certificates from small businesses would be nice as well. You’re doing something awesome for the receiver and supporting a local business at the same time,” she said.

Meanwhile, Laura Knowles said the straw market has been her go-to holiday shopping spot for the past two years.

CUFFLINKS by Always by Allia

HAUS of Assembly

THE SCENTED Escape Candle Company offers a wide array of Bahamian-made candles.

THE MALL at Marathon.

Photo: Austin Fernander

How to make Secret Santa a smash

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

SO you participated in Secret Santa, pulled a name from the hat and now you’re tasked with finding an appropriate yet still personal gift for a co-worker whose taste, style, likes and dislikes you know very little about. Needless to say, you have your work cut out for you.

But no worries. We are here to help. We spoke to several people who have been triumphant in their Secret Santa gift-giving quests. Here’s how they navigated the tricky task and the items they chose to gift their colleagues.

Stacy suggests that before going on the hunt for the perfect gift, take stock of who the person you are gifting truly is.

“It’s easy to find out things about someone if you just pay close attention. Start with the things that are tangible. What is their fashion sense? What do they like to wear, do they like lots of jewellery? Can you get close enough to pick up on what kind of jewellery they wear? Study them for a bit. It allows you to find out details about them without coming right out and asking,” she said.

Crystal added: “You can maybe just put another coworker up to doing your bidding. Let them do the digging for you. But also tell them to be discreet. You don’t want to put them on their guard. Maybe during a causal conversation about the holidays they will spill a little,” she said.

The gift of coffee

Brion said three years ago he participated in Secret Santa at his job and decided to wrap a Starbucks gift certificate in a box for his colleague.

“She loved it,” he said of his co-worker and recipient. “She is a fanatic for coffee and I thought, ‘What better gift to give than a certificate to her favourite coffee house?’ With the certificate she probably was able to purchase a beverage every

week for a month. It was certainly something she loved,” he said.

Return to

Junkanoo

than

you know they

Say it with a T-shirt

A graphic tee, said Nelly, is great gift that can be personalised and also doesn’t require you to bust your budget.

“Does the person have a favourite line they say often at work? If not, then come up with something that you think reflects their personality. If you are out of ideas in this area, then just stick with a holiday themed T-shirt. I am sure this is something they will appreciate,” she said.

Dinner for two

Has a new restaurant opened or is there an already established one your Secret Santa may enjoy visiting? Trevor suggests finding one that offers gift certificates. “I believe in giving gifts that are useful and very functional.

Everyone loves good food and getting a freebie to a fancy restaurant is always good idea,” he said.

“My male colleague decided to use to gift certificate for a first date. His date turned out to be boring, flat and uninteresting, so he felt relieved knowing that it was not his money that had been spent. He thanked me again after the disaster date.”

A touch of greenery

Paula said choosing a mini planter or succulents (if they are into botanicals) can help your co-worker beautify their desk.

“Gifting them a cute succulent to keep on their desk is a great idea. They are very beautiful, long-lasting and low-maintenance. Also, these small, striking plants have different meanings and symbolisms.

Find one that suits your Secret Santa’s personality,” she said.

So far, more

2,500 tickets have been sold for

this year’s hotly anticipated parades, which have been on hold for the last two years.

Julius recommends this Junkanoo tickets for those who enjoy feeling the rush and seeing all the action

live and in person. “I bought these (tickets) for a colleague who loved the parade. They were tickets for Rawson Square too, so

appreciated this gift. It was not only thoughtful but reflected their likes,” he said.

FANCY DINNER –Everyone loves good food and getting a freebie to a fancy restaurant is always good idea.

SUCCULENTS to brighten up a work space are always a good idea.

A WELL-chosen gift certificate is appreciated by all.

SECRET SANTA – Before going on the hunt for the perfect gift, take stock of who the person you are gifting truly is.

Picking out a gift for the new homeowner

By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

CHRISTMAS time in a new home can be truly exciting.

After all, it brings new meaning to the phrase “home for the holidays.”

And with a new home come a lot of new areas to decorate and many new day-to-day items that need to be updated and replaced, all of which makes shopping for the new home owner on your Christmas list a breeze.

• Here are 10 gift ideas to help inspire you:

Candles

1.

Candles help ensure that their new space smells amazing. Scented candles in cute jars that match their aesthetic or aromatherapy diffuser route are always a good choice.

2. Decorative pillows

You can never have too many pillows to throw on beds or arm chairs. Find some that match the style

and colour scheme of your friend or loved one… maybe choose one with a cute saying on it, but make sure it’s tasteful and chic.

3. Plants

Whether you’re catering to their green thumb by selecting a real one or are taking the pressure off by choosing something artificial, plants are a great way to make any space feel homier.

4. A welcome mat

Whether it says the traditional “Home, Sweet Home”, “Home for the Holidays”, or maybe something customised with their last name or family motto, welcome mats are always a fun and practical present.

Gifting a welcome mat will ensure they remember your thoughtfulness every time they walk through their front door.

5. Amazon’s Alexa

There are so many ways that Alexa and Echo Dots, or even an Echo Show can add value to day-to-day life – from setting alarms

and timers to checking the weather or a sports score just by asking aloud, or by playing your latest Audible book. I particularly like the intercom feature that

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGIST IDENTIFIES THE 4 BIGGEST GIFT-GIVING MISTAKES

By JULIAN GIVI Assistant Professor of Marketing, West Virginia University

(THE CONVERSATION) – A good gift can elicit a surge of happiness and gratitude in the recipient. It also feels great to give, with psychologists finding that the joy of giving a gift is more pronounced than the pleasure of receiving one.

Unfortunately, there are times when you receive a gift and you have to force a smile and fake your gratitude.

I’m a consumer psychologist who specialises in gift-giving research – in particular, gift-giving mistakes.

• Here are four of the most common ones.

1. Prioritising

the big reveal

One way givers can err is by focusing too much on the moment the recipient will open the gift.

Givers want their gift to be desirable. They hope to surprise the recipient and put a smile on their face.

A chocolate fondue fountain might meet these criteria – it’s quirky and sure to elicit curiosity and smiles from onlookers.

However, when people receive a gift, they care less about the moment the bow comes off, and instead think about the weeks and months ahead.

People want gifts that are useful and reliable and meet their needs.

How often would a chocolate fondue fountain realistically be used?

Compare that to a new coffee maker, which could see action every day. Sure, it isn’t a novelty – and probably won’t elicit “oohs” and “ahhs” on Christmas Day – but the recipient will be quite happy to have it on

hand when their alarm rings each morning.

2. Unique and new are overrated

Another factor that can lead givers to go wrong involves unwritten rules for what constitutes good giftgiving practices.

Givers often focus on these rules more than they should. For example, they may avoid giving the same gift to someone in backto-back years because this goes against the norm of

giving a unique gift each year. Givers also often refrain from giving used products as gifts because this violates the unspoken rule that a gift should be brand new.

In contrast, recipients are quite open to gifts that violate these norms.

If someone loves a certain type of wine, they’re more than happy to receive it in subsequent years. And if one digital camera is lightly used but possesses several innovative features,

allows you to communicate with others anywhere else in the home.

6.

Home care gift certificates

New homes require maintenance, so consider a gift certificate for a lawn care company or cleaning service. Your recipient will be grateful to you for helping lighten their work load around the house.

7. Movie night basket

Help make movie night a hit and add to the new home memories with special treats like popcorn, chips and pretzels, and of course a special serving container to put them in.

8. Picture frames or wall art

There will be so many new memories made in the new home that a special picture frame to display all these moments is a great idea. And new homes

usually still have a lot of empty wall space, so if you’re confident enough, why not pick out a cool and stylish print to add to your recipient’s wall art.

9. Tool kit

There are so many home projects you have to tackle when you first move in, whether it be hanging wall art, or curtains, or carrying out minor repairs. Adding to a home owner’s tool

supply is the gift that keeps on giving for many years to come.

10. Alcohol or sparkling beverages

Let’s be real, new home or not, adult beverages are always a great idea. You can go a step further and add a nice ice bucket or serving ware set. Help your friends and family stock up their home bar which you can all enjoy during the holidays.

THERE are times when you receive a gift and you have to force a smile and fake your gratitude.

FIND some decorative pillows that match the style and colour scheme of your friend or loved one.

WECLOME mats are always a fun and practical present.

TOOLS - the gift that keeps on giving for many years to come.

Handmade holiday cards are gifts in themselves - some tips

By KATHERINE ROTH Associated Press

AROUND this time of year, Rose Keiko Higa often finds herself making holiday cards for family and friends. An art history major at Oberlin College, in Ohio, she uses cut and layered paper to craft Christmas cards, and paints traditional Japanese New Year’s cards on watercolor paper.

“Written words can be such a meaningful gift on their own, it’s nice to be able to create a vessel for them in the form of a handmade card,” Higa says.

Not only can handmade cards feel more special than store-bought or digital ones (or none at all), but gathering to make them can be a social activity for kids and grownups ahead of the winter holidays.

“They’ve always been a thing but they’re definitely having a moment now, with more people wanting to keep in touch in a low-fi way,” says Leslie Corona, senior home editor at Real Simple.

Handmade cards also speak to a time “when more people are thinking of ways to reconnect with their inner crafter,” says Oma Blaise Ford, executive editor of Better Homes & Gardens.

“It’s a great craft for people who just want to dip their toe in. You can just make one or two cards. It doesn’t have to involve a mass mailing,” suggests Ford.

And DIY cards “touch on issues of sustainability and not consuming as much over the holidays, ” she says.

Christopher Paul Stevens, an artist in the Atlanta area, makes distinctive holiday cards from old-fashioned looking block prints of winter scenes, and sells them on Etsy.com at 111 Restoration and Vintage Goods. Judy A. Steiner, an artist in Ada, Michigan, makes cards featuring elegant Christmas trees formed from watercolour brushstrokes in shades of green and blue.

“It’s kind of neat for both purchaser and receiver” to know cards are handmade, says Steiner, who has been making cards for decades and sells them through Steiner Studio on Etsy.

While paintings are often expensive, she notes,

handmade cards are a more affordable form of art, a gift unto themselves.

Tips for beginning cardmakers include:

AIM FOR QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY

Avoid getting too ambitious, warns Corona. Don’t

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGIST IDENTIFIES THE 4 BIGGEST GIFT-GIVING MISTAKES

FROM PAGE 5

another is new but has fewer features, people are happy to receive the used one. 3. Being risk-averse Givers can make missteps when they avoid gifts that they see as too risky.

Consider sentimental gifts, like a scrapbook or a nostalgic memento.

Studies have shown that recipients love these gifts; they elicit happiness for extended periods of time.

Givers, however, tend to shy away from sentimental gifts because they see them risky – sure, they could be a home run, but they could also whiff. Doubts can creep into shoppers’ heads as they consider sentimental gifts: What if it comes across as sappy? What if the recipient thinks I’m being cheap?

And so people tend to opt for safer, superficial gifts that they assume will be at least somewhat wellliked. Or, to continue with the baseball analogy, givers are happy to take the sure single.

As another example, consider material goods versus experiences.

When giving gifts, people often opt for tangible objects over experiences because material goods are on the safer side – almost everyone could use a new appliance or a new shirt.

Experiences are trickier; they require a bit more of an understanding of who the recipient truly is – not everyone loves going to see the symphony.

Yet recipients tend to be more open to experiences than givers anticipate – and these gifts are actually more likely to make people happier than material goods.

4. Does the thought really count?

Givers can also err by wanting their gift to appear especially thoughtful.

Of course, recipients appreciate thoughtfulness – but not when it comes at the expense of receiving something that’s actually useful.

This plays out when givers are shopping for multiple people. They’ll often choose unique gifts for

each recipient, rather than give the same gift to everyone, because a distinct gift for each person will make them feel as though they put more time and effort into gift selection. People do this even if they realise that some recipients will be receiving less desirable gifts.

You’ll also see this happen with gift cards. Givers often choose specific gift cards – to a particular clothing store or restaurant, for example – that reflect the interests or tastes of the recipient.

But recipients are more open to gift cards that give them more flexibility and freedom – think an Amazon or Visa gift card. That way, they can decide whether to splurge on a new sweater, dine out at their favourite restaurant – or do both.

• This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com

set out to make 300 cards by hand. Or if you do, make it very simple.

It’s a good idea to try making just five or 10

beautiful cards for closest family and friends. Attempting anything overly grand can become overwhelming and stressful, she

says. “You want to walk away from it with a positive memory,” she says.

CONSIDER WHAT YOU HAVE AT HAND

Before heading to the craft store, look at what you have around you. For example, round basket coffee filters or cupcake liners can make great snowflakes: Fold a few times and cut out designs along the sides and top, then paste them onto card stock, suggests Ford.

If you put a few drops of food colouring in some warm water, you can fold, dip-dye, and then allow the filters to dry before cutting the snowflakes. They’re similar to tissue paper but much more durable, Ford says.

Other decorating tools you might have include colourful washi tape, designs you could cut out from past holiday cards, paper doilies, ribbon, felt, markers, paint and stickers. Gold-leaf adds some bling.

Paper paint samples from the hardware store can be cut into triangles to make a Christmas tree, suggests Bridget Mallon, editorial director of the home website The Spruce.

Free printable templates for designs can be found online, she adds.

MAKE IT A POSTCARD?

Are your cards being mailed? To save money on postage, consider postcard-style cards without an envelope.

Just make sure you send your cards as early as possible, and be aware of any weight or size restrictions that may arise.

For larger or multidimensional cards, it’s easiest of course to hand-deliver or enclose them in a gift box. You could attach a little spray of sturdy greenery or foil-wrapped chocolate coins.

MAKE IT

AN EVENT

“Having a card-making party with friends is a fun way to get together during the season and knock something off your to-do list at the same time,” says Ford.

Encourage kids to help, says Mallon: “Their imperfect drawings and scribbles will bring a smile to your loved ones’ faces.

“And they can create cards for their friends or classmates.”

YULIA Cartwright shows handmade holiday cards. (Yulia Cartwright via AP)

WHEN giving gifts, people often opt for tangible objects over experiences because material goods are on the safer side – almost everyone could use a new appliance or a new shirt.

Mini but very merry

WHETHER in cardboard, wood or porcelain, little villages — with houses, shops, miniature figures and snowy fir trees — have long been part of many families’ holiday decorating tradition.

They’re also popular now as part of an ongoing love of the cosy and the do-it-yourself.

“Nostalgia is at the forefront of holiday decor this year,” says Dayna Isom Johnson, a trend expert at the crafts site Etsy.com. “So it’s no surprise that tiny Christmas villages are trending.

“From classic scenery with snowy layers to modern ceramics with clean lines, families are putting their creative spin on this decades-old tradition,” she says.

Little 19th century-style

villages came to America with European immigrants and were further popularised by the father of five-and-dime stores, FW Woolworth, who sold tiny German-made cardboard houses.

In the 1970s and 80s came ceramic houses; the company Department 56 began making their popular ones in 1976 and still do today. These sturdier buildings were easy to store seasonally.

Robin Zachary, who works as a prop stylist on commercial photo shoots, has amassed a collection of vintage cardboard houses, matchbox cars, bottlebrush trees and little people that she likes to set up for the holidays in her New York City home.

She advises checking out model train shops for

accessories: “The scale is perfect for a holiday village vignette.”

She also suggests using fake snow to dress your display, “with a dash of silver or gold glitter mixed in, and snips of fresh evergreens placed in tiny containers”.

And if you’ve got limited space for a holiday display?

“I’d create a village as a centerpiece on a dining table or console,” Zachary says. “A large platter can serve as the base, lined with fake snow and fresh evergreen branches that encircle your village. That’s easily moved if you need to use the space temporarily.”

Sarah Fishburne, Home Depot’s director of trend and design, says fireplace mantels and side tables also make great

display spots for mini Christmas villages.

“You could also place one on the floor surrounding your Christmas tree, or distribute your pieces throughout a bookcase,” she says.

If you’re making a Christmas village yourself, Fishburne says, get everybody in the family involved, whether decorating a miniature tree, assembling a little structure or adding other personal elements.

You’ll find sets of unfinished wood and cardboard miniature houses online; you add the paint, washi tape or other decorative trim. Some will fit nicely over a battery-operated tealight to glow in the evenings.

Another creative option: a village of snow globe houses. Buy

readymade ones, or make your own using clean jars, distilled water, a droplet of glycerin to suspend your tinsel glitter, and then whatever elements you’d like to attach to the jar lid. Cyd Converse, a DIY blogger in Watertown, New York, shares a how-to at www.thesweetestoccasion.com.

Beyond the traditional, Dickensian look, Fishburne suggests creating a vignette that reflects your family’s favorite activities. Are you all ice skaters? Do you love to bake? Is a visit to grandparents a holiday must? You could depict these things in your village display with mementos and other items.

By KIM COOK, Associated Press